Health-related quality of life of preschool caregivers in Hong Kong.

The aim of this study was to explore the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of preschool caregivers in Hong Kong with a view to informing policy-makers about health promotion within this population. The following research questions were addressed: (i) What was the HRQOL of young children's caregivers in Hong Kong? (ii) Were there differences between these caregivers' health and the general Hong Kong population's health? (iii) What demographic factors were related to these caregivers' quality of life? Mixed methods research, including quantitative and qualitative tools, was utilized. Data from a study consisted of a survey of 834 preschool caregivers along with 3 in-depth interviews with employees of kindergarten-cum-childcare centres from different socio-economic groups within the city of Hong Kong. An HRQOL questionnaire (the SF-36 v. 1), together with demographic characteristics and illness/disease incidence data, were collected. The results suggested that the Hong Kong preschool caregivers had a substantially poorer HRQOL than Hong Kong's general population. The analysis found that young caregivers and caregivers with young families had a significantly lower HRQOL than more senior caregivers. They tended to feel tired, lacked energy and failed to perform vigorous activities. Significant differences were also found according to the caregivers' socio-economic status. Health and education policy-makers should note that young children's caregivers are in a serious state of ill health. Further health education and promotion efforts should target this population.

Chinese parental perceptions of weight and associated health risks of young children.

A mixed method was employed to determine how caregivers view preschool children's body size and associated health risks. A survey of 505 caregivers was nested in 10 in-depth case studies of mothers. Based on the International Obesity Task Force calculation of children's weight status, the caregivers who had underweight children overestimated their children's weight status but the caregivers who had overweight/obese children underestimated their children's weight status. Their estimates were substantially different from those of the caregivers of normal weight children. The mothers' thoughts revealed the complexity of beliefs and sociocultural experiences about weight preferences and affirmed the quantitative findings.

Obesity in Hong Kong Chinese preschool children: where are all the nurses?

We report an ethnographic study of 10 preschool children aged 2-6 years recruited from kindergartens in Hong Kong, 6 of whom were overweight or obese. Each was followed for 12-18 months. We confirmed previously described risk factors and showed how these interacted to produce obesity in some but not all at-risk children. Despite much rhetoric in the literature about holistic care of the preschool child, we were struck by the lack of coordinated professional input to the needs of children at risk of obesity and by the absence of nursing input in particular. We argue that a "whole-systems" nursing role, based in the community and with remit that includes clinical care, education, and policy, is urgently needed, as well as review examples of such roles from other countries.

Exploratory factor analysis: health perceptions of Chinese early childhood educators in Hong Kong.

The aim of this study was to explore health perceptions of preschool teachers, with a view to inform early childhood practices and teacher education. Pre-service student-teachers and in-service teachers (n = 200) who were voluntarily recruited completed a 24-item health attitude questionnaire. Factor analysis identified four dimensions of health attitudes, reflecting physical, psychosocial, mental and emotional domains. Inter-correlations among the factors suggested that early childhood educators in Hong Kong embrace a holistic view of health, although they consider physical and emotional health as more salient than the psychosocial and mental health dimensions. In comparisons of the perceptions of in-service teachers and student-teachers, students placed less emphasis on psychosocial health, but teachers placed more emphasis on physical health. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for designing health education programmes for preschool teacher education.